Benefits of multi-day supplementation with probiotic kefir in Rasmussen encephalitis: the first case report

The Emerging Scenario of the Gut–Brain Axis: The Therapeutic Actions of the New Actor Kefir against Neurodegenerative Diseases

“…Currently, oxidative stress is researched by traditional indirect methods and is also explored in neurodegenerative diseases by evaluating products of lipid peroxidation (e.g., malondialdehyde [ 106 , 107 ] and 4-hydroxynonenal [ 108 ]), products of oxidized proteins (e.g., advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP)) [ 40 ], and by “comet assay”, an efficient tool to measure DNA breaks at the single-cell level [ 101 , 103 , 109 , 110 , 111 ]. Furthermore, direct methods of detection were adopted using confocal and live-cell imaging, flow cytometry, and/or HPLC methods (for more details, see Dikalov et al, 2014 [ 112 ]), enabling the investigation of the distinct participation of O 2 •− , H 2 O 2 and •OH/OONO •− species [ 40 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 ]. Since these assays show high analytical sensitivity and precision, indirect and direct methods are complementary tools to investigate possible therapeutic strategies against neurodegenerative diseases, as discussed later.…”

“…Existing data suggest health benefits due to the regular consumption of kefir beverages. These compounds were associated with kefir’s biological properties, such as immunomodulatory [ 159 ], antimicrobial [ 160 , 161 ], antitumor [ 162 ], anti-inflammatory [ 40 , 163 ], and antioxidant [ 7 , 14 , 40 , 63 , 101 , 115 ] properties. These health-promoting benefits are associated with kefir microorganisms, the interactions between them, and the bioactive compounds produced from the fermentation of milk [ 164 ].…”

“…In addition to its antioxidant actions, kefiran showed dose-dependent protection of proteins from oxidative injury [ 173 , 206 ], and kefir also demonstrated significant antioxidant effects in vivo. Over the past decade, our group has shown that kefir is a likely food for the treatment of oxidative stress-dependent diseases [ 7 , 14 , 40 , 63 , 80 , 101 , 115 ]. Kefir intake decreases the production of ROS [ 7 , 101 ] and increases antioxidant enzyme (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione-peroxidase) activity [ 207 , 208 , 209 ].…”

“…Kefir intake decreases the production of ROS [ 7 , 101 ] and increases antioxidant enzyme (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione-peroxidase) activity [ 207 , 208 , 209 ]. Therefore, kefir safeguards the cells from the harmful effects of ROS by protecting proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids, avoiding the apoptosis process [ 7 , 40 , 101 , 115 , 210 ].…”

“…Complications associated with inflammation are a key cause of morbidity and mortality due to chronic diseases. Peptides from kefir inhibited the NF-κB signaling pathway [ 163 ], increased anti-inflammatory (IL-10), and decreased the production of proinflammatory cytokines (such as INF, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF) [ 40 , 115 , 159 , 204 , 211 ].…”